United States · General Schedule (GS) · FY 2026
AAJ-AA-5 Grade Salary
Administrative Appeals Judge AA-5.
2026 salary range
$172,500 – $172,500
Annual base in USD ($). Excludes locality pay, allowances, and performance bonuses.
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | $172,500 | $14,375 | $83 |
Hourly computed assuming 2,080 annual working hours. Actual hourly rates on official tables may differ slightly.
Locality pay — total after geographic adjustment
Most US federal employees receive locality pay on top of the AAJ-AA-5 base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for AAJ-AA-5, applied to base step 1 and step 10 respectively.
| Locality Area | Adjustment | Step 1 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCBWashington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | +33.94% | $231,047 | $231,047 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $237,964 | $237,964 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $252,437 | $252,437 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $235,411 | $235,411 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $225,734 | $225,734 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $201,928 | $201,928 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $208,328 | $208,328 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $204,119 | $204,119 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $213,538 | $213,538 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $207,604 | $207,604 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $203,964 | $203,964 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $206,051 | $206,051 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $228,701 | $228,701 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $211,157 | $211,157 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $202,912 | $202,912 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $210,329 | $210,329 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $210,847 | $210,847 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $210,709 | $210,709 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $207,259 | $207,259 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $206,431 | $206,431 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $209,450 | $209,450 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $225,147 | $225,147 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $222,732 | $222,732 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $219,524 | $219,524 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $203,567 | $203,567 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $205,154 | $205,154 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $202,946 | $202,946 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $227,838 | $227,838 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $206,017 | $206,017 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $210,295 | $210,295 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $232,875 | $232,875 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $203,809 | $203,809 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $205,223 | $205,223 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $209,743 | $209,743 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $206,258 | $206,258 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $215,056 | $215,056 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $211,175 | $211,175 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $220,145 | $220,145 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $203,947 | $203,947 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $203,429 | $203,429 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $222,508 | $222,508 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $208,777 | $208,777 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $217,574 | $217,574 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $211,226 | $211,226 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $210,864 | $210,864 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $210,933 | $210,933 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $202,722 | $202,722 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $203,343 | $203,343 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $223,836 | $223,836 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $230,667 | $230,667 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $226,958 | $226,958 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $207,052 | $207,052 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $202,981 | $202,981 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $204,896 | $204,896 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $205,758 | $205,758 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $204,930 | $204,930 |
Locality data sourced from U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Locality Pay XML tables. Last refreshed 2026-04-20. RUS ("Rest of U.S.") is the default for areas not otherwise listed. Law-enforcement, special-rate, and capped schedules not shown — see the OPM tables for specifics.
Frequently asked
How much does a AAJ-AA-5 make in the United States federal government?
A AAJ-AA-5 in the United States federal civil service earns between $172,500 and $172,500 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Is the AAJ-AA-5 grade the same in every agency?
The base pay scale is set centrally by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and applied uniformly across eligible federal employers, but agency-specific supplements, locality pay, and bargaining agreements can produce meaningful differences in take-home pay.
Where does this data come from?
Directly from U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. Each page on FedSalary carries the retrieval date and a link back to the primary source.